Finally Wacken again! By the weekend, over 80,000 fans were celebrating the return of the legendary festival after a two-year break from the pandemic. But now it’s all over again. All that remains is the anticipation of next year’s festival. And it’s so big that the tickets are already sold out.

Wacken Open Air 2023 is already sold out after a record time of just five hours. The organizers announced this on Monday morning. All 80,000 tickets were already sold out after advance sales started at 8 p.m. on Sunday evening.

The 32nd Wacken Open Air will take place from August 2, 2023 to August 5, 2023 for the first time over four days. With bands like Iron Maiden, Dropkick Murphys or Megadeth, parts of the line-up were also announced a few hours before the start of sales.

“A sold-out show is never a matter of course,” says organizer Thomas Jensen about the record. Especially in these times, the support of the community is extremely important. One is still in the process of dusting off this year’s open air and can now fully concentrate on 2023. A remaining contingent of tickets will be reserved for the official travel partners of Wacken Open Air in order to be able to meet their needs.

The first Wacken Open Air took place in 1990 with around 800 visitors in the municipality of Wacken in Schleswig-Holstein. As a result, the festival developed into one of the largest heavy metal events in the world. The 31st Wacken Open Air only came to an end on Saturday. According to official figures, 83,400 fans were there. Top acts in 2022 were Judas Priest, Slipknot and Powerwolf.

The 32nd edition next year will be themed Vikings. Their culture “will be reflected in the overall appearance as well as in artistic performances, program content and other offers on the site,” says a corresponding statement.